Living, Not Surviving
by RobinOfCoxly
Summary: Max has moved in with David. After Everything they went through, the rough patch doesn't seem to stop. More drama, more issues, and more trouble amongst the Newbury household.


Max was cold. His hands hurt, his shoulders trembled. He was freezing from the inside out, and he couldn't even explain what was happening. All he knew was Toby got what he deserved. He left him alone for so long, he just abandoned him. Now that he finally had something, it seemed like he popped up in Max's mind just to spit in the face of it. The memories… he didn't know if they would go away, but at least he found the source. He knew what it was. He knew who to ask to figure out what happened, to remember that awful time.

For now, he was nursing bruised knuckles in the passenger seat of David's car.

David was silent. He didn't know what to say, where to start. He'd gotten a call from a frantic Celine, on Max's phone, asking him to hurry over. David had been desperately apologizing to his boss, but he had to leave. Max was more important.

When he got there, there was blood in the snow on the walkway. Up on the porch, Max was shaking and silent, curled up in his coat and a blanket with Celine beside him. He didn't know what to think. He just hurried up, scooping Max into his arms. Words spoken with Celine's parents, and the boy… he was a mess. Busted lip, bleeding nose, black eye forming. Max had gotten a few good punches in, that was for sure. They were headed for urgent care, and David promised they could talk some time soon, but the kids were the focus for the moment.

When they got home, David was met with silence, still. Clingy, absolutely upset silence, but silence nonetheless. David just picked Max up from the car, shutting the door and tucking him close against his chest, murmuring softly to him to keep him settled down.

He got them both into the house and carefully set Max down on the couch, kneeling in front of him and rubbing his hands down his arms gently.

"Buddy… Can you look at me? I just need to see if you're alright," He asked quietly, lifting a hand to his chin to look over his face.

Max closed his eyes, but his face did raise to face the man. To David's relief, he didn't have any marks on his face. It looked like Max was the only one throwing punches. There would have to be serious repercussions for this, but David had to figure out why it happened first. He stood away, heading to the kitchen. He dampened paper towels with cold water, and returned to him. He gently brushed away the blood, and hopefully soothed some of the ache, until they didn't look so angry and painful.

His hands moved back to his arms, rubbing his shoulders gently to soothe him,"Can you tell me what happened, kiddo?"

"Don't _call_ me that!"

Max erupted in anger, eyes snapping up to glare at him. David was a bit surprised, but he was careful.

"I'm sorry- I forgot, I'm sorry." He murmured, raising his hands to placate the teary, angry child in front of him,"Max… just tell me what happened. Can you do that?"

Max scowled at him for a few more moments, before his eyes dropped back to his lap. He shrugged out of David's hands, unwilling to be touched right then. He curled up on the couch.

"Toby was the kid," He explained quietly, slightly bitter,"From the flashbacks… my memories. It was him."

David frowned,"The… Toby? Celine's brother?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you hit him?"

Max remembered it clearly. The moment he saw him, saw who he was, he bolted forward and tackled him down. Three solid blows, knelt over him he just started swinging and screaming. Celine's dad had torn him off, picking up his son from the snow. Celine had been the next one to grab at Max, yanking him back from running after him. She pulled him down to the snow, wrapping him up in a hug as he kept screaming, crying. Then David had come.

"He left me," Max grit out, angry,"He left me with them… alone… He wasn't even gonna tell me goodbye," He was seething, shaking again as he recounted it while tears rolled over his cheeks,"They were fucking _pissed_… took it out on me, like I sent him off. Like _I_ was the one who fucking ran! _I didn't!_ They locked up the windows, locked me in the room- I couldn't sneak anymore food, I couldn't do anything, I couldn't-"

David jumped when Max sucked in a breath and screamed right then. An honest to god, gut-wrenching holler. He didn't care if Max wanted to be touched, he leaned forward and tugged him close against his chest, tucking the boy's face into his shoulder and holding him tight. The fabric muffled his shout, and the sobbing that followed, but the sounds still cut through David's heart like a knife. He just held him as close as he could, rubbing his back and kissing his hair, keeping the boy settled in against his chest.

"Just let it out," He encouraged quietly,"I'm sure it hurts… It must have been awful."

Max's hands gripped to his apron then, clinging and shaking as he cried his heart out for the second time that night. David continued coaxing tears, gently soothing and wishing he could do something to fix it all. It hurt knowing all of that happened, and knowing he couldn't do anything to change it. He scooped Max up from the couch slowly, settling the small kid into his lap so he could hold him a little tighter. The boy didn't seem to mind, so David just went right on trying to settle him down.

It took a minute or two, but Max finally settled down. He was trembling by that point, face firmly hidden away against his shoulder. He wanted to pull away and go to his room, but he'd have to face David. He didn't want that. Lucky for him, the man seemed preoccupied right then. He stood with Max in his arms, carrying him over to the kitchen, keeping him close.

"Do you think you can eat? I know you don't feel up to it, but how about some apples and peanut butter? Just something small?" He suggested quietly; Max hadn't eaten over there, he knew that much after talking to Celine's parents, and that was worrying him.

Max turned his face away to peer at the fridge David had opened. He just exhaled some shaky sound and leaned against his shoulder again.

"Whatever."

David nodded. He set Max down on his feet, tugging his coat off gently to leave him in just his sweatshirt and jeans. He set the coat away over one of the kitchen chairs and set to cutting up and apple. Max just climbed into one of the chairs, crossing his arms on the table and leaning his head forward as exhaustion crept over his bones. Before long, David returned to his side, with a little bowl of sliced apples and a scoop of peanut butter for him. He left again to get him some water with a few cubes of ice, setting that down too. Max glanced up slightly at the two items, while David knelt by his chair, smoothing a gentle hand over his back.

"Can you eat just a bit? Drink some water… it will help you feel a little less sick," He said quietly, hoping to get Max convinced enough to refresh.

Max huffed another sigh, turning away from him a bit. He was somewhat shamefaced after breaking down so harshly. He'd defend himself tooth and nail if David made fun of him for it, but it was embarrassing having the man just… not care. Be so soft. He wanted to be angry, and David wasn't helping him fill that need right then. But he was starving, even if he wanted to puke. He rolled his eyes as he felt David's hand again, arching his back to move away from the touch. His eyes turned back to him, glaring.

"Are you gonna sit there and fucking watch me eat?" He snapped sharply, though his voice was hoarse.

David frowned, and sighed softly,"No. I'm gonna change, call if you need me." He assured, soft spoken as he stood up.

He tugged the apron over his head as he stepped away, heading for the stairs to go dress in something other than work wear. Max shifted when he left, fidgeting in his seat. He picked up one of the apples and dunked it into peanut butter before popping it into his mouth, scowling at the plate as he chewed.

David padded along up the stairs with a soft sigh. He tugged his aparon off completely, hanging it up on the hook by his door, and beginning to unbutton his dress shirt. His shirt was stained from where he had picked Max up, and he was clung to. He frowned at it, rubbing his thumb over the dark red color and wondering how in the world it had gotten to something like this.

Max would need consequences for this, he had to have some. Violence was never the right answer, and letting this go would only show him that having bad emotions would warrant being so aggressive and angry. But he hated to be the one to lay out those consequences. He wanted to soothe, and help his son settle down, but there was nothing he could do. Here less than a month, and this… trainwreck happens. He just had to hope that Celine's parents wouldn't press charges, either. He was strapped for cash, barely managing to stash anything away into savings, and there was no way he could afford any ill feelings.

He Just changed into a sweater and a pair of pyjama pants and sat on the bed. Head in his hands, he sighed. He didn't know what was going on anymore. Everytime he got closer to Max, got some confession or explanation from him, it seemed he took another wrong turn down the maze of his mind. He didn't know what to do anymore. But he couldn't stay upstairs sitting in his misery. He knew that much.

He headed downstairs after a little while, padding quietly along the steps. He needed to lay down the law, so to speak. But, when he got to the kitchen, Max was slumped over on the table, breathing steadily. The apples and peanut butter were gone, the glass of water half full. David smiled fondly at the scene, and sighed. Tomorrow, then.

He was quiet, moving forward and carefully scooping Max up into his arms, tucking his head against his shoulder and kissing his curly hair as he made his way upstairs. He laid the boy down in bed, covering him up gently, and Max finally stirred a bit, frowning in his bleary state and groaning. David smoothed a hand over his hair, and straightened up. As he left the room, turning back to tug the door closed, Max shot up from bed.

"Wait."

David blinked, and paused. He frowned towards the boy, opening the door again. In the light from the hallway, his eyes were wide, almost frightened. David was confused, stepping back into the room.

"Something wrong?" He wondered carefully.

Max glanced to the door, then back to David, but said nothing. He was tense. He didn't want him to shut the door and cover the room in darkness all over again. He'd been struggling with waking up in the pitch black room since day one, and he hated it. But he wasn't going to tell him that. He was ten. He shouldn't need any damn light when he went to bed.

David watched him for a few moments, before he had a feeling he knew what was wrong. He hummed, brushing a hand through his curls.

"I think I have something, be back in a shake," He smiled softly, stepping back out of the room and leaving the door open so the room was washed in light.

Max shifted in bed, fingers curled up in the sheets as he watched the hallway, then glanced around the room, settling himself down. He had no idea what David was getting, but he would wait nonetheless.

David returned after a minute or so, with something in his hand. He went to the wall where Max usually charged his phone, moving the charger cord and plugging in something. After a second, a light shone from the wall. It was red, then orange, then green, and other shades of the rainbow, changing slowly and lighting up the room. David went over to his bedroom door, closing it while staying in the room.

"Is that okay?" He checked, wanting to make sure Max was okay with the level of light.

Max nodded, then thought about the darkness of the room,"Yeah. Thanks."

David smiled, tugging the door open again. He stepped back over to Max's side, brushing a hand over his hair again and tugging at the blankets.

"Go ahead and get some sleep, Max. I'll see you in the morning," He hummed, stepping away with another soft smile.

Max just nodded again, watching him tug the door shut. The only light left in the room was from the little nightlight, which illuminated everything in the room softly enough that Max could tell there were no creeping hands around. He watched the lights change for a while, flexing his hands gently as the ache settled, and eventually drifted off.

As reluctant as he was, David had to go wake up Max for school the next day. He got him up gently, and went downstairs to make breakfast. He'd learned quickly that Max didn't eat very much in the mornings, especially if it was sweet. Usually, he made some toast with jam, or scrambled eggs for the boy, and occasionally a couple small pancakes or french toast. Today, he made toast with a little bowl of washed blueberries, cut up bananas, and pieces of kiwi.

Max trudged down the stairs to eat. There was mostly silence. David decided he could eat when he got home, before work.

"Max, you know we have to talk about last night."

"No, _you_ have to talk about it. I have to listen."

David frowned, but crossed his arms as he sighed,"You can't… just… _hit_ people. I know there was some tough things going on… but that's not okay, Max."

Max was glaring at his breakfast as though it was David himself, unhappy with being scolded so early in the morning. But, David had more. He always had more.

"I still have to talk to Celine's parents… sometime today, I think. But you're grounded for a week. This was not okay, at all, Max. You broke his nose."

Max's nose wrinkled as he sneered,"_Good_."

David frowned, uncrossing his arms and settling his hands on his hips,"No! Not good, Max. I don't want to hear you talking like that. Now give me your phone."

Max glanced up at him then. His phone, too? For a _week_?He shook his head.

"No! You're not taking my fucking phone! No way!"

Expression turned stern, David pressed,"I said you were grounded for a week, Max, that includes your phone. And you stop using that sort of language right this instant, or I'll wash out your mouth."

Max gawked at him. There was no way in hell. He shook his head, sliding out of his chair and scowling like he wished death on David,"No. Fuck you, fuck that. I said no," He snapped.

"Last warning-"

"_Fuck_ you."

As soon as David took a step forward, Max turned and bolted. David, unfortunately, was faster, and grabbed his sleeve.

"No!" He scolded sharply, tugging him back to the kitchen,"I have had it with you! I've told you to stop with the swearing, I have been _lenient_ and welcoming, but you crossed a line last night, and I'm done being gentle! Come here," He shifted his grip to Max's wrist, tugging him along, still careful not to hurt him, but firm nonetheless.

Max was a bit surprised to be caught, and shouted at, even if it was nowhere near the level of screaming he'd heard before David. He dragged his feet when he was tugged along, trying to pull his hand free.

"No! Fucking stop!" He demanded angrily, yanking on his grip.

David didn't let go, but he turned, tugging Max closer and scooping him up without another word. He sat him firmly on the counter, standing in front of him to make sure he couldn't slide down. He braced his hands on his shoulders, giving him a light shake to get him to pay attention.

"You stop it. Right now," He scolded,"You can hate me, and be angry, and fuss all you want, but I am your guardian, and I can do this _all day_. And I _will_ do this all day. Anymore swearing, anymore shouting, or insults, and I'll add more time to your punishment. Do you understand me, young man?"

Max flinched slightly when he was shook, scowling at the man to hide his surprise. David had been passive up until now, willing to let most things slide if he put up enough of a fight or tired him out. Now… he was stuck to it. He shifted on the counter, still glaring but slightly less angry. He gave a tiny nod.

"Good. Thank you."

David sighed, letting him go to side step slightly, picking up a little bar of soap on the edge of the sink. Max saw it and his eyes went wide, face blushing pink.

"David I said I understood," He muttered, shifting a bit away.

David turned another stern gaze to him,"You did. But you still swore at me, and I said I was washing your mouth out, so that's what I'm doing. Now sit still and hush." He lathered soap under water, getting it sudsy.

"I don't-"

"That's an extra minute." David turned off the water and turned to eye him warningly, one hand on his hip as he held the soap in the other,"Do you want to try for another?"

Max was astounded. He was really stuck. He could run, but David would catch him. He could just snap his mouth closed, but that would risk more minutes, and David would probably wait him out longer than Max could hold off.

"Good. Open your mouth. If you want to postpone this until after school It'll be worse for you," He warned carefully.

Max swallowed and stared at him. He huffed, shifting on the counter again before opening his mouth hesitantly. David nodded, taking one hand to hold his chin still and open his mouth a bit more, before pressing the soap into his mouth. Max wanted to gag immediately, eyes screwed shut as his shoulders tensed. The taste was awful and bitter, and he hated it.

"We do not use those words, Max. Especially not towards one another. It's mean, and not nice. So next time, you know exactly what's coming to you when you decide to swear at me like that." David scolded, stepping back to take out his phone and set a timer for two minutes.

Max groaned, swinging his feet from over the counter as he shifted and fidgeted. It had only been a few seconds but he already wanted to be done with it. All he knew was that he earned an extra minute, but he didn't know what it was extra to. He squeezed the edge of the counter hard, feeling his eyes start to burn at the taste, trying to breathe through his nose. This fucking sucked, he knew that much. He didn't like David acting like… whatever he was acting like. It sucked.

"One minute left." David assured him, when the time marked came up. He set his phone down on the counter and stepped away to clean up the breakfast plates, settling everything into the sink. He was rinsing things off when the timer went.

He straightened up, using one hand to turn off the beeping, and the other taking hold of the soap in his mouth,"Open up- Ah-." He instructed, and Max was happy to open his mouth, jerking his head back from the soap.

He leaned over the sink, spitting out the suds with a groan, reaching for the faucet to turn on the water and rinse. David let him for a few moments, rubbing a hand over his back as he set the soap down. After about twenty or so seconds, he shut off the water again.

"Alright, enough." He said, more gentle this time.

Max was reluctant, but sat up and wiped his mouth,"That was fucking _gross_!"David raised an eyebrow, and for once, Max shrank back a bit,"Freaking- sorry…"

"Thank you." David softened a bit, still rubbing his shoulder softly,"I know it wasn't fun, but you have to learn sometime. You did really well with it, thank you for settling down." He smiled lightly, leaning forward to tug the boy into a hug.

Max leaned into it, despite himself, holding onto the sides of his shirt. The soap was gross, and he wasn't going to try for another round of it. David seemed to feel a little bad, at least bad enough to give him a hug for going through something so disgusting. He was also petting his hair, which Max could never seem to move away from.

"Okay, buddy. Time for school. Go get ready," He hummed, scooping the boy up and setting him on the ground gently,"You can brush your teeth again, too," He smiled, sending him away with a hair ruffle.

Max rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue with that. He brushed his teeth again, got ready, and off to class he went. Nothing more was said about the morning, and he handed over his phone, reluctantly.

David was feeling a bit better after having laid down the law like that. He knew he'd have to be firm again with Max sometime, but at least now he knew he could handle it. He got ready for work, ate some toast and took at apple with him, and headed in. He had some grovelling to do, and he just had to hope he wasn't fired.

He went in early, headed straight for Mallory's office with an apology on the tip of his tongue. After waiting for a welcome in response to his knocking, he headed right in. Instead of apologizing like he meant to, Mallory interrupted.

"Oh! How is Max? Everything alright?" She wondered, standing up from the desk and rounding it towards him,"You were frantic last night."

David blanked for a moment before nodding,"Yes… Yes! Everything is okay. There was a fight, something with his past homes… It was sudden, I'm so _so_ sorry i had to run out like that,"

Mallory smiled,"No, David, it's okay. I covered the shift for you. There's nothing to worry about." She assured.

David could have very well cried from relief right then. He nodded, smiling gratefully, even if a bit weary,"Oh, thank you- thank you so much, I swear I'll keep it from happening again."

A nod from Mallory, and another smile,"Thank you. I was a bit upset about you rushing out last night, though. I had something I wanted to ask."

David tilted his head, with another soft smile,"Oh- I'm sorry, what did you want to ask?"

She took a small step closer, but her hands were behind her back, smile soft and eyes open, watching his expression,"I was wondering if you'd want to go out to dinner sometime."

For a moment, David could only blink. Slightly confused, his face went a bit warm.

"Ah… Like as friends?"

"More than that,"

"A _date?_"

"Exactly."

David was red in the face. This was… not the conversation he expected to be having that morning. He shifted, lips parted as he tried to find words to say. She was pretty, there was no question about that. She was sweet, and considerate. David hadn't had a night for himself in who knows how long. Honestly… it didn't sound very bad at all.

"I have reservations on Friday at seven. Do I need to cancel?"

"...No. Don't cancel them. I'd… I'd love to go."

"Good answer."


End file.
